Best Criminal Justice Schools in North Dakota (2027)

The Criminal Justice (BS) is a 120-credit-hour degree with an estimated time to complete of 4 years. Students study the causes and dynamics of crime, the functions of criminal justice agencies and the operation of the justice system. The department lists minors in Police Management and Investigations, Law & Legal Studies, and Offenders, Risk Assessment & Corrections, and its criminal justice and social work programs offer a 12-credit Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Concentration open to any major. Classes are offered on campus and online, and the degree is also offered through the Air University Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (AU-ABC).

Minot State admits freshman and transfer students, new students can begin the degree online, and students who have already started college can complete it online. The AU-ABC route, offered with the Community College of the Air Force, lets students earn the bachelor's degree in 60 semester hours beyond an associate degree. The program also has a tuition-covered apprenticeship with the police department in Minot, North Dakota for students pursuing law enforcement careers.

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Studies takes 120 credits, including a 42-credit major that opens with introductions to criminal justice, policing, courts and corrections and moves on to criminological theory, law and society, criminal law and procedure, and administration of criminal justice systems. Students also pick electives from topics such as women and crime, cybersecurity law and investigations, correctional alternatives, police administration, criminal investigation and victimology, and every major completes a concentration in a single supplementary field. UND offers the degree on its Grand Forks, North Dakota campus or online, where classes are asynchronous but follow the same semesters as campus courses.

UND treats applicants who have not earned college credit after high school as freshmen, while students who have attended college since then apply as transfers. Online students pay the same tuition rate regardless of residency. Majors can take internships in areas like juvenile probation, law enforcement and law, and an accelerated law track lets students shave a year off law school while finishing the criminal justice degree.

The Criminal Justice Major leads to a B.A. or B.S. and requires a minimum of 120 semester credits, including 36 upper-level credits and 30 credits in residence at NDSU. Major requirements include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Policing, Criminology, Introduction to Corrections, Applied Research Methods, Criminal Law and Procedure, Crime and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, Criminal Court System, Corrections or Police & Society, and Gender, Race and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, along with introductory psychology, sociology and statistics. NDSU lists the major as on campus.

Internships are open with agencies across North Dakota and Minnesota and are usually done in the junior or senior year. The department says its relationship with Alexandria Community and Technical College in Alexandria, Minnesota lets students attend that college's peace officer skills program toward eligibility for Minnesota peace officer licensure, and that students aiming at local law enforcement in North Dakota may instead take Lake Region State College's training in Fargo, North Dakota or Devils Lake, North Dakota. High-achieving undergraduates can complete the bachelor's degree and a Master's of Science in criminal justice in about five years.

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a major in DSU's School of Education, prepares students for legal, policing, corrections and support positions and covers the three main elements of the justice system: the courts, policing and corrections. Its core courses include The Criminal Justice System, Policing in America, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, Courts and Criminal Procedure, Research Methods, Criminal Law, Introduction to Corrections, Victims and Victimology, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Comparative Criminal Justice Systems, Gangs and Organized Crime and a Senior Capstone, and students add 9 elective credits from options such as Criminal Investigation and Forensic Psychology and Criminal Profiling. DSU requires at least 120 semester hours for a bachelor's degree, including 30 earned at DSU.

First-year applicants send official high school transcripts showing 13 units of high school core classes and need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Through Degree Bridge, Williston State College's co-matriculation initiative, students complete their associate degree coursework at Williston State College and then take DSU upper-division courses taught in person on the campus in Williston, North Dakota, earning a DSU bachelor's degree without leaving it.

The AAS in Law Enforcement requires 43 semester credit hours of academic courses plus the 17-credit Peace Officer Training Program, totaling 60 credits over four semesters. Academic courses include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Computers, Fundamentals of Public Speaking, College Composition, American Government, and Social Problems or Cultural Diversity. The academy is academy-style training with daily physical fitness and weekday classroom instruction covering criminal law, patrol procedures, investigations, defensive tactics, emergency response, firearms and report writing; it runs each spring in Devils Lake, North Dakota, each summer in West Fargo, North Dakota and each fall in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The college says graduates of the academy can complete the AAS on campus or online.

Students in the Law Enforcement curriculum must also apply to the Peace Officer Training Program, which has its own application and limited seating. Applicants need an acceptable driving record and a valid driver's license held for at least two years, must meet the college's drug use and criminal history guidelines, need a 2.0 GPA in their most recent college semester or overall, and complete an ND POST-approved psychological exam and a background investigation. The college says the academy qualifies individuals for North Dakota licensure but may not meet requirements in other states.

The Criminal Justice Associate of Science totals 61 credits: 30 in general education and 31 in required program core courses. The core covers Patrol Procedures, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Policing, Introduction to Homeland Security, Criminal Law, Weapons and Physical Fitness or Traffic Law and Enforcement, Criminal Investigations, Ethics in Criminal Justice I, Juvenile Justice and Corrections. Program outcomes include describing the parts of the criminal justice system and analyzing the foundations of law in state, federal and tribal legal systems.

Students wishing to enroll must be 18 years of age, hold a valid driver's license from their home state and provide official documentation of a criminal background check. The department describes a broad curriculum for students pursuing entry and intermediate level careers in criminal justice. The Criminal Justice department also offers a Bachelor of Science.